Although the Wars of the Roses lasted for most of the last half of the 15th century, this lively account shows that the bitter struggle between great families actually had little effect on the lives of ordinary people in England. Paul Murray Kendall's major historical study vividly unfolds the panorama of daily life during this time, recreating the last half of the 15th century in glorious detail and colour. Ideas, attitudes, fears, aspirations, the olde daunce of love and death are all examined to show that our mediaeval forebears had very much the same concerns as we do today. We also learn about the dress of the age, recreation, courtship and marriage, the role of women and children, housekeeping, even what people ate. Dealing with all walks of life, from pirates to Members of Parliament, merchants and minstrels, lords and lawyers, yeomen, ladies in love and bored nuns, this is a vibrant, human story of a fascinating age. It also shows us that the 15th-century renaisssance may well be the basis of the concept of Merrie England.